Don't You Think You Skipped a Step?
by TheNovelArtist
Summary: In which Alya want's answers, Marinette has no idea how to explain, and Adrien is not helping.


"I'm going to give him up, Alya."

Alya snorted. "Yeah, right. You've been in love with that boy for five years. There is no way you're giving him up."

"I'm serious," Marinette said, her tone a little too weak for Alya to believe it. "I'm going to give him up."

Alya shot her a challenging smile. "Girl, you remember the last time you said that? You ended up chasing after his car."

"I mean it this time," she argued, tapping her fist on the table. "Really. I'm going to give him up."

Alya rolled her eyes "Sure. Two weeks, tops."

* * *

Week three had rolled around, and Alya was ready to drop dead at the staunch lack of anything Adrien in Marinette's life.

No plans to make Adrien fall in love with her. Posters, all taken down. Even his schedule, gone. Alya really didn't know what do to at this point. "Girl, I really don't know how you're doing it."

She shrugged. "I'm just tired of wasting my time with someone who I know isn't going to recognize me."

"He would have." _Eventually. After someone took a bat to his head._

Marinette gave Alya a small, pitiful smile. "I doubt it."

Alya couldn't do anything more than pull her friend into a tight, comforting hug.

* * *

A month later, and Marinette was back to her old self. Which was good because Alya hated seeing Marinette so down in the dumps.

But the conversation that was taking place in the seats ahead of them made Alya fear that all that progress was going to disappear rapidly fast.

"She's amazing, Nino," Alya heard Adrien say. "Like, she's perfect."

"Dude, you've got it so bad."

Adrien simply shrugged and looked off at the front of the classroom with what Alya was going to guess was a love-struck look on his face.

She glanced over at her friend, hoping she didn't hear the conversation that Adrien had obviously found someone. However, Marinette seemed oblivious to it all as she doodled happily in her sketchbook, meaning Adrien Agreste would live to see another day.

* * *

It was a rare Saturday that everyone was free, so four teenagers found themselves sitting in a café for lunch.

"Babe, you okay?"

No, Alya was not okay, mostly because she didn't know what to make of the scene in front of her

"I just have no idea how to impress this girl," Adrien was saying as he tugged at his hair.

"First, take a breath," Marinette instructed. "Then you should tell me about her so I know how to help you."

That only launched Adrien into a rant about who he deemed to be the most incredible woman on the face of the planet.

"Honestly, Nino," Alya said, looking back at her boyfriend. "I have no idea."

* * *

Five months had passed since Marinette had set her foot down and resolved to give up Adrien.

"Girl, I need to get you a new addiction," Alya teased. "I don't know what to do with you anymore."

Marinette giggled.

"I also can't believe you're giving him girl advice."

"He's hopeless," Marinette defended with an amused grin. "Like a little lost puppy."

"No wonder he never noticed you."

Marinette shrugged. "At least he's happy."

"I guess," Alya relented. "Now, let's get _you_ happy."

Alya prided herself on being a great reporter, someone who could put two and two together very easily. However, despite being Marinette's friend for five years, Alya could not peg that gleam in Marinette's eye. "Trust me, Alya," Marinette said, her voice almost— _almost_ —taking on a dreamy quality as she turned back to her sketchbook doodle of… a cat? "I am."

* * *

It was the first summer night after graduation, and Marinette was the happiest girl in the world. Oh, not because she was going to her first pick of colleges.

But because the love of her life decided detransform in front of her and propose to her.

How it all started, Marinette couldn't say for sure. But she remembered being tired of Adrien not noticing her—and after five years, he'd have ample time to see her as a love interest—and ranting to Chat about it. Then somewhere close to that, her superhero partner decided to stop flirting and instead, picked up Adrien's slack and began treating her the way she wished Adrien would have treated her. Flash forward several months and not wanting to go home after a patrol in favor of spending time with her partner that ended in some pretty memorable kisses goodnight became the new thing.

Now she had a ring on her finger and was going to be called Mrs. Agreste within a few months. She could squeal from the rooftops out of happiness.

However, before that could happen, Marinette and Adrien had one very important matter of business: craft a story of how the best friend duo Marinette and Adrien became engaged seemingly overnight.

She supposed it was easier than introducing someone completely new to everyone and saying she was marrying him. That didn't mask the fact that Adrien had been mooning over a girl for months and she'd been giving him advice.

However, the irony of her giving him advice on how to woo, well, _her_ was not lost on Marinette.

They agreed to meet up at the park across Marinette's house. Marinette promised to bring the snacks, so she gathered a picnic basket and blanket and a box full of goodies. She swore to her maman she would bring home the guy she was seeing—Maman was too preceptive for her own good—then scampered out of the house with an excited squeal.

She was quick to arrive at the park, though she could have done it without nearly running in front of a car in the process. Still, she made it in one piece and barely had time to set up the blanket before Adrien swooped her up into his arms. She squeaked but surrendered to his embrace.

"My bugaboo," he murmured against her hair.

Her heart couldn't keep calm at the possessiveness in his tone. "My kitty."

Eventually, they separated, but only so they were able to sit down on the blanket. Adrien didn't hesitate to place his head in her lap, immediately settling down and letting his eyes close.

Marinette couldn't help but smile as she looked down at her fiancé. Nor could she resist the urge to run her fingers through his perfect, blonde hair.

He cracked an eye at her, and green caught blue. The world disappeared for a moment.

"What'd I miss?"

Marinette jolted in surprise at her best friend's voice, one slightly tense. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Marinette was disappointed that Adrien sat up, head disappearing from her lap. However, that thought was quickly put on the backburner as she looked up to lock eyes with Alya.

"Looks like the cat's out of the bag."

She could have _smacked_ him for that. And considering the way he shot her a quick smirk that was filled with far too much glee, he knew it, too.

Marinette turned back to Alya, who looked like she was going to pull an explanation out of Marinette one way or another. Painfully, if need be. "Um…" Marinette stuttered out, finding words did not come easily. She held out a finger in a "wait" motion. "I can explain."

Alya's glare narrowed on Marinette, though when it suddenly widened and her jaw dropped to the ground, Marinette felt the desperate need to run and hide away in a hole safely out of Alya's reach. Preferably on the other side of the world. "And just _what_ is on your finger?"

Marinette looked down at her left hand, the one she was holding out.

She hadn't even had the ring a full 24 hours, yet she was suddenly very angry at the large, glittering stone and gleaming white gold band.

As a reporter, Alya was good at two things: making connections very quickly and jumping to conclusions. In this case, it wasn't hard, but Marinette was certain Alya made the correct connection in half the usual time. "Girl, unless you've been hiding that ring from me, you only just got that last night."

Curse her inability to shrink into nothing. It would have been better than facing the Alya inquisition with cheeks redder than her Ladybug suit. "Yeah."

Alya's gaze bounced like a pinball between her, Adrien, and the ring. "And don't you think you guys, I don't know, _skipped_ a step or two?"

Marinette struggled to find the courage to answer that question.

She wasn't sure if it was better or worse that Adrien answered for her. "What are you talking about?"

The fire that roared to life in Alya's eyes was scary. "You know, the _dating_ phase."

"We had that phase."

How was it possible for Alya to get scarier? She only rose a single brow. "You mean _this,_ " she pointed at the two of them, "has been going on for some time?" The tightness in her tone was unmistakable, meaning Marinette was up to her ears in trouble and it was entirely possible that she would be deaf by the time Alya finished yelling at her.

"Wait…" Alya's eyes screwed shut for a moment. "What about that other girl, Adrien?"

His brow furrowed. "What other girl?"

"The girl you always talked about," Alya accused. "The love of your life?"

Adrien was still for a moment, but slowly, he reached out to squeeze Marinette's knee.

Alya caught the movement, and she placed her hands on canted hips while her expression grew fiercer.

"How long has this been going on?" Alya demanded.

"A few months," Marinette weakly defended.

"And you've been _hiding_ it from _me_?" Alya asked, her voice loud with shock and… probably hurt. "The co-author of every single 'Secret Garden' plan?"

If Adrien was confused, he didn't show it. Or Marinette couldn't see it with his face turned toward Alya.

She hoped he never asked.

"I was planning to tell you," Marinette said. Because she had, but it was hard when there were secret identities that needed to remain secret.

"When you got engaged?" Alya clarified.

"Well, I didn't think it was going to happen so quickly," she rambled, her old school habit slamming back full force. "I mean, we fell pretty suddenly."

"What are you talking about?" Adrien said, turning to look at her. "I've been in love with you for years."

At the confession, Alya literally froze for a second, eyes wide and jaw on the ground. The next second, she was throwing her hands in the air in completely, totally, and utterly exasperated surrender. "I give up!" she cried, spinning on her heel and marching off. "I'm done. I can't. Alya. Out."

Marinette bit her lip as she watched her friend go. That was going to be a hard rift to repair, she knew it. She'd hated lying to Alya time and time again, but it had to be done. Maybe some ice cream and a big, fat apology would be a nice place to start.

She looked back at Adrien, who was pouting in confusion. "Was it something I said?"

Despite being bewildered and worried, she sighed at her darling but totally oblivious kitty. "Something like that."


End file.
